Despite their morning vows, they find themselves back at it the next day.
Most of the drinkers I know have confided to me that each time they wake up with a bad hangover, they almost always swear in the name of their Creator that they’ll never touch alcohol again, kabisa!
“Drinking can be a joy, but I also consider it a curse when, at times, it makes me feel so lousy that I consider not going to work!” says Sele, who has apparently become famous in the wake of Mboso’s hit song, Selemani.
However, I can’t see Sele abandoning beer. What can happen, maybe, is that he’ll skip having beer now and then, when his wallet is empty—which, however is a rare thing.
The fellow is a good plumber, and since our section of town is blessed with too much water, leading to frequent damage to the hopeless plastic pipes that lead the precious liquid to our houses, he’s always assured of repair jobs.
Sele, however, admits he has lost “many clients” due to his oft-failure to deliver even after he has been paid advance cash!
Like most drinkers, the guy normally forgets about his morning hangover woes by late afternoon, more so when his wallet is bulging with chapaa.
By 7 p.m., he’ll be having his safaris at his favourite hangout with friends. Sele will only leave the bar when he realises that what remains in his wallet is hardly enough for his bajaji fare back home, while his buddies seem to be counting on him for another round. Wapuuzi!
Ndugu Esaya has his bad mornings too, more so when he overindulges in kutoa gesi with his favourite gin, Gordon’s.
Kutoa gesi (releasing gas) is big drinkers’ excuse for making sure they reach a reasonable level of intoxication (read, get drunk) after taking several beers.
“The gas that fills the stomach after taking beer can be very annoying... gives me a bloated feeling, which is why after five or so beers, I've got to treat myself to several helpings of Gordon’s,” claims Esaya, a semi-retired real estate professional.
Retirees—the likes of Uncle Kich, Esaya, and Wa Muyanza—are lucky since their hustling commitments can start at any hour of the day. Woe unto those who've got to report to the workplace by 8am, wapende-wasipende!
“Taking too much beer, which you wind up with kutoa gesi, can mess up your productivity the next day, and that’s when I swear I won’t take a drop of alcohol on that day... and the next one, or never—but I always break the vow,” says Esaya.
However, taking a glass of warm water after every visit to the washroom at night enables Esaya to wake up in the morning with a reasonably clear head. Indeed, I’ve personally tried the Esaya remedy, and I can tell you, it works, haki!
Our Uncle Kich has a few lifestyle challenges, for he leads the disciplined life of a former schoolteacher. That could explain why he’s never forced to swear he’ll stop drinking his usual three or four Safaris—budget-allowing.
